Local farmers leave out the middle man

Tuesday

May 27, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Danny McConnell stood at the top of a small rise on his farm east of Hendersonville one recent day. He made a sweeping gesture with his arm and pointed to the open field below.

Danny McConnell stood at the top of a small rise on his farm east of Hendersonville one recent day. He made a sweeping gesture with his arm and pointed to the open field below."Everything around here was apples," McConnell said.Like many farmers in Henderson County, McConnell has diversified his farm. Besides apples, he grows vegetables, strawberries and blackberries. He also has a greenhouse operation, where he grows plants for other farmers.Right now, it's the strawberries keeping McConnell busy. He and a crew of laborers have been picking berries for a couple weeks and sales have been brisk.The strawberry season has been a stark contrast to last year when an Easter weekend freeze wiped out the majority of the strawberry crop in Western North Carolina. McConnell said the weather this year has been perfect for strawberries, which prefer cool nights and warm days."I'm very pleased," McConnell said. "We actually could have gotten away without frost protection."You pick, we pickThe farm sells the berries directly to the public at a small fruit stand off Old Dana Road. McConnell said he originally sold the strawberries wholesale, but found the direct market was more advantageous."I never thought we would have a retail business," McConnell said.

He said the pre-pick operation works well in Henderson County."We tell people we take the work out of it for them," McConnell said.The fruit stand has diversified as well, selling hanging tomato plants, ice cream and other products. McConnell said about 60 percent of the sales at the stand comes from strawberries.J.D. Obermiller has a small strawberry operation at his farm. He takes a different approach than McConnell. He has people come and pick the berries. He said you-pick was popular 10 or 15 years ago and he has seen a renewed interest in recent years. He said a lot of young families bring their children out to the farm to pick strawberries."They remember doing it with their parents and grandparents," Obermiller said.Demand is strong for strawberries and the crop is often picked out early in the morning, he said. Obermiller, who harvested about 20 percent of a normal crop last year, said he was pleased the weather cooperated this year."It's good to have a crop," he said, laughing.Wade Edney also sells strawberries in Henderson County. He said the season is going well and the quality of the berries has been good."Everything is going well," Edney said.Edney sells his strawberries at a fruit stand on U.S. 25. Business "has been much better than last year," he said, and selling directly to the public has been the best approach for his farm.

"We go straight to the public," Edney said.Diversifying the farmMarvin Owings, an agent for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, said strawberries and other small berries are becoming increasingly important to local farmers.He said a group of farmers is contracting with a wholesaler to grow blackberries throughout the Southeast."You have got to diversify," Owings said. "The ones who have, it looks like it is going to pay off."McConnell has grown strawberries for 11 years. His grandfather grew the berries back in the 1940s, and McConnell saw strawberries as a way to diversify his farm.McConnell said people want to know where their food is produced, and they want to save money."A lot of it has to do with the increase in food costs," he said.He sees a renewed interest in canning and preserving, as people are trying to find ways to reduce their food budget.

"I don't know how many tons of strawberries go into making freezer jam," McConnell said.Owings said new techniques have helped improve strawberry production in the region. Farmers grow the strawberry plants in rows that are covered in plastic. The technique allows farmers to control the moisture and nutrients.The soil, water and growing conditions produce better flavor, Owings said.The bulk of the strawberry season runs from mid-May through the end of June, but some varieties can produce fruit throughout the summer. This year's harvest has been a welcome relief to many strawberry farmers, Owings said."The production has been outstanding this year," Owings said. "It's always good to have a crop after we got wiped out last year."

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